Gas-mantle lamp



T. H. STAFFORD.

GAS MANTLE LAMP.

APPLICATION FILED MARJO, 1919.

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THOMAS H. STAFFORD, 0F FRANKLIN, NEW HAMPSHIRE. v

GAS-MANTLE LAMB.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 18, 1920.

Application filed March 20, 1919. Serial No. 283,755.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS H. STAFFORD,

a citizen of the United States, resident of Franklin, in the county of Merrimack and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gas- Mantle Lamps, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to portable lamps and has particular reference to that type of lamps which generate gas from a liquid fuel such as kerosene and employ mantles which are heated to incandescence by the burning gas. In a heretofore known lamp of this type the fuel is contained in a reservoir or font and is under pressurewhich forces it up through a filtering tube and a generator located to receive such heat from the incandescent mantle or mantles as to gasify the liquid fuel; The gas then passes through a somewhat tortuous passage to which air is admitted and mixed with the gas, and the mixture then issues from one or more nipples having mantles of a well known typeattached thereto. I

Lamps of this type require that occasional access be had to the generator to keep the passage therethrough free from obstructions. As the generator is necessarily very close to the mantle or mantles, and as the latter are (after having been first burned off) very fragile, the temporary displacement of the generator for cleaning purposes frequently breaks the mantle. One ofthe objects of the present invention is to provide structures of lamps of this type which will permit ofmoving the mantles and generators apart and holding them separated so as to avoid any risk of fracturing a mantle when the generator is disconnected to be cleaned.

Another difiiculty has been found to exist in regard to the filter tubes. Such tube usually has a filling or wick of asbestos and after some use the wick becomes so filled with carbon that suflicient fuel can not pass through. The tubes must then be replaced by a new wick-filled tube because the" carbon causes such. adhesion to the inner wall of the tube that the wick can not be pulled out and replaced by a new piece of wicking. A most important feature of my invention resides in the provision of means whereby the wick inthe tube can be readily removed and the inside of the tube cleared at the same time, so that a new or fresh wick can be placed in the tube.

Other objects and advantages will be referred to hereinafter and the novel features of my invention will be pointed out in the claims.

Of the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of so much of one of my complete lamps as is necessary to an understanding of the inventiomthe o1l reservoir or font and shade belng unnecessary to illustrate.

F ig. 2 is a side elevation of the gasifier or i generator on a larger scale.

I Fig 3 represents a section on line 3-3 of 1g.

. Fig. 4: isa sectional elevation of'the feed tube and its contained filtering wick.

F ig. 5 is a View similar to Fig. 4 illustrating the operation'of removing a carbonized wick from the tube. s

Fig." 6 is. a sectional detail of one of the mantle-supporting nipples. i

Fig. 7 is a view similar to a portion of Fig. 1, illustrating the rising mixing head as having a ring-shaped or circular mantle instead oftwo cup-shaped mantles.

Fig. 8 represents a transverse vertical .sec-

tion through the lower part of Fig. 7.

Mounted on an oil supply tube 12 rising from a suitable base font not shown, is a ring or small casting 13 which supports a pair of frame rods 14 the upper ends of which are formed orprovided with ears 15 which are vertically apertured to provide bearings for two sliding rods 16 which are carried by the gas-mixing and mantle-carrying heads 17. The rods 16 pass through upper ears 18 of the head 17 and are tapped into lower ears 1'9 ofsaid head. By any suitable means, such asby so forming the rods 16 that if not fitted in place they would be slightly curved, I provide for such friction between the rods and their bearings in the frame cars 15 that the head 17 when raised to the elevated position indicated by dotted lines in'Fig. 1 will remain in that position while the generator is being cleaned and replaced, after which the head can be slid down to operative position. I

A shade ring 20 is secured in any suitable manner tothe rods 14 or the ears 15. As

any kind of shade be employed if dei sired, supported by the ring 20 by any pre ferred connections, it is unnecessary to illustrate more than the ring 20.

The mixing and mantlecarrying head 17 which I term the rising head for reasons hereinafter made clear, is formed interiorly to provide a central passage communicating at its upper endwith two side passages as indicated by dotted' lines in Fig. 1. At the lower end of each side passage is a nipple 21 (Figs. 1 and 6) which is formed to have attached to it in the usual manner, a mantle 22 of the customary or any preferred make. When the rising head is lifted the mantles of course rise with it.

An air. intake tube enters the side of the central passage of the head, near its lower end, as at 23, and fitting a hole in the bottom of said passage as a cork fits a bottle-neck is the upper end or tip 24- of the gener'ator25 having a central passage 26* (F igs; 2 and 3). The generator asa whole stands vertically and is wide and flat, having wings the sides of which are preferablyconcaved as at 27 to better gather in or retain the heat radiated from the mantles to the opposite sides of the generator so that oil passing into the tube 26 from below will be the more quickly and efiiciently heated and converted into gas which then passes through the small aperture in the tip 2% and into the head 1'? where it is mixed with air entering at 23 and passes to the mantles on opposite sides of the generator when the parts are'in operative relative positions as indicated bythe full lines in Fig. 1.

Connected to the lower end of the generator, preferably by screw threads; is the tube 28 (Figs. 1, 4 and 5) for containing the filtering mate ial which is usually asbestos braid. The lower end of the tube is knurled as at 29, or has a knurled end piece secured to it, and has a threaded nipple 30 to removably engage the upper end of the supply tube 12. Snugly fitting the interior of the tube 28 is a closely coiled wire 81 which closely wraps the wick material 32' (Fig. 4). The object of the wire is to facilitate removal of a piece of wicking which has become clogged owing to the heat resulting from proximity to the generator andmantles. It serves as a wick. extractor and to clear the rnside of the tube for the reception of a fresh wire-wrapped wick. hen the wick fails to permit proper flow of oil, the tube is separated from its connected parts andthen the exposed end of the coil 31 is grasped and pulled up as indicated in Fig. 5. This elongation or lengthening of the coil breaks up any lining of carbon or other objectionable material which may cause adhesion to the inside of the tube; and the" coils as they are drawn out scrape the inside of the tube. The WI-I'e. 3 1 is so closely coiled that there are no spaces between the coils and therefore there is no opportunity for the accumulation of such quantities of carbon as would fail to break when the wire is elongated as shown in Fig. 5': As the last of the coil leaves the tube the wick usually goes with it. If any particles of carbon remain in the tube they can be easily knocked out or blown out. Then a fresh wick inclosed by a coil is inserted in the tube and operative connections reestablished. This removable coiled lining of. the tube may be of wire which is either round or flattened or angular in cross section.

Prior to attempting to gain access to the generator to prick out the aperture in its tip 24%, orv to' the filter wick in the tube 28, the head 17- is raised and left elevated (see dotted lines in Fig. 1). This also raises the mantles and supports them high enough to enable the tip 24 to be pricked out if that is all that is required without danger of fracturing the fragile mantles. Also while the head and mantles remain raised the generator and wick tube can be unscrewed and removed for examination or repairs, without damage to the mantles. The plug fit ef the generator tip 24 in the bottom hole of the head enables the separation to be readily effected, and when the generator and wick tube are back in place a simple sliding down or lowering of the head until its bottom hole fits snugly onto tip 24.- restores the parts to condition for use. I

. VVhile I have 'so far described my invention as including two mantles 22,- it isgobvious that one of them and one of the nipples 21 might be omitted. I prefer, however, for some purposes, to employ a single mantle which entirely surrounds the generator when said parts are in relative positions-for use. Such a mantleis" circular or ring-shaped as illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8 in which all parts having the same reference numerals as in the other figures are or may be the same as in said other figures. In said Figs. 7 and 8, the outer or side passages of the rising head '17 deliver the mixed gas and air into a circular chamber 36 the inner wall of which has an annular groove 37 and the outer wall of which has an external groove 38. The circular bottom of the chanrber has ports 39 forthe passage of the inflammable mixture into the ring shaped mantle 40. This mantle may be secured in place by any suitable means such as an expansible split ring 41 clamping its inner margin in the groove 37 and a thread or cord binding its. outer margin in the groove 38. This form of mantle gives the greatest possible results in illuminatiom owing to its having inner as well as outer concentric walls, and a bottom.

It will be readily understood that the feature ofthe rising head carrying the mantle with ithas a special function when the mantle is circular and surrounds the generator when the lamp is in use, and it will also be appreciated that with the generator so in closed it is subjected to a most effective heating from the mantle. If no provisions were made for displacing one relatively to the other and holding: them so displaced, it would be almost if not quite impossible to do the usual things required. to keep the lamp in operative condition without fracturing the mantle.

Iaving now described my invention, I claim:

1. A gas-burning lamp having a ringshaped mantle holder provided with gas ports, a mantle having inner and outer margins secured to the inner and outer portions, respectively, of the holder, a generator ex- .tending within the mantle, and means for temporarily supporting the generator and mantle in relatively displaced positions.

2. A gas-burning lamp having a ringshaped mantle, a generator surrounded by said mantle, means for conducting gas from the generator to the interior of the ringshaped mantle, and means for temporarily holding the mantle in raised position to expose the generator.

3. In a lamp of the character described a generator and a mantle-supporting head having coupling connections to enable the generator to supply gasto said head, said head having means for supporting it uncoupled and in raised position at a distance from the generator to hold a mantle carried by the head clear of the generator.

4. In a lamp of the character described, a vertical generator having heat transmitting extensions, and means for directly heating both sides of the generator.

having its upper end exposed to enable it to be elongated.

7. As an artlcle of manufacture, for a.

lamp of the character described, a coil of wire and fibrous material contained therein,

the coils of the wire being in contact with each other to form a continuous tube.

8. In a lamp of the character described,

a generator having vertically extending wings, said wings having concave external surfaces, and means for directly heating said concave surfaces.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature.

THOMAS H. STAFFORD. 

